Every day as she gets dressed, she sees the body and stripes that she has earned through motherhood… and she often finds herself staring and touching the stretch marks that take over half of her stomach now.

From the moment she saw the two lines on all 7 pregnancy sticks she took {because she couldn’t believe it was REALLY happening and she ACTUALLY had a baby inside of her!} she found herself spending HOURS googling “How to prevent stretch marks.”

She quickly learned that there are thousands of formulas, hundreds of celebrity endorsed products and countless oils that all were telling her that she needed to fear how others would view her “imperfect” body in just a few months.

Well. After spending a few weeks with my personal pregnancy souvenirs now, my opinion of these marks is evolving as I think about everything that they actually represent and mean to me… and what they should mean to you too {our men}.

Yes, even though we as women have been conditioned to hate our postpartum bodies with flabby skin and stretch marks… it is time we embrace them.

And to you, the dear sweet men in our lives – it is time YOU embrace and love them too.

1. THEY ARE A VISUAL THAT SHOWS HER PRIORITIES: You built a family. TOGETHER. How cool is that?! And each mark on her belly is a reminder of just that. A reminder that for nine months, she grew a human being INSIDE of her and gave you the most precious title you will ever hold – DAD.

They are a visual reminder that she said goodbye to 8 straight hours of sleep each night and hello to waking up every 2 hours to feed a hungry baby.

A reminder that she said goodbye to a clean pristine car and hello to a car full of fruit snacks in the carpet and crunched up fishy crackers in between the seats.

A reminder that she said goodbye to her closet full of cute tight clothes and hello to stretchy leggings and comfy oversized tees.

And a reminder that she said goodbye to late night outs and hello to taking care of a little person 24 hours a day.

They are a reminder of what is most important in her life. And a reminder of the fact that she was willing to give up the life she knew for a life full of unexpected surprises.

2. THEY SHOW THAT SHE SACRIFICED HER OWN BODY FOR HER BABY: At times she has had moments where she didn’t even recognize her own body in the mirror. Maybe you walked in on her staring at her big belly as she turned side to side once?! While standing there, she was honestly wondering who even KNEW her belly could stretch that far?!

It’s pretty incredible to think how our bodies just KNOW what to do?! They know how to create life. They know how to help the babes grow. They know how to give birth. And they know how to recover after our miracles arrive.

3. THEY PROVE THAT SHE IS STRONG: And brave. And courageous. And loving. And selfless. And absolutely beautiful.

Pregnancy is no joke. Labor is insane. And becoming a mom is a whole lot of work! Sleepless nights, leaky boobs, aching backs, breakout faces, pounding heads and exhausted bodies are the real deal when it comes to mom life. Her stretch marks are PROOF that she can handle change. That she can handle really hard times. That she can really handle… anything.

4. SHE EARNED THEM: Oh, how she earned them. Those marks made her a mom. Those marks made you a dad. Those marks brought that precious baby in your arms into this world. Those marks changed her life and those marks changed yours too.

5. THEY ARE WORTH IT: They are absolutely, 100%… WORTH IT! They are worth the long days and even longer nights.

Because being a parent is the most life changing, incredible, beautiful and fulfilling experience we can have on this earth.

And if stretch marks and flabby skin equals cuddly babies, hilarious toddlers, fun kids, messy houses, tons of memories and a life full of LOVE… I say bring them on! Bring it ALL on!

Danielle is the owner of Today's the Best Day. She strives to provide creative and uplifting content in order to enrich the parenting experience for women everywhere. Danielle hopes to help you and your family to make every day the best day! February 24, 2017 by Danielle Davis | 2 Comments